Improvement in hemp-brakes



W. A. VERTREES. HEMP BRAKE.

No. 25,292. Patented Aug. 30, 1859.

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WILLIAM A. VERTREES, OF WINCHESTER, MISSOURI.

-IMPROVEMENT IN HEMP-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 25,292} dated August 30, 185

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

' Be it known that I. WILLIAM A. VER'IREES, of \Vinchester, in the county of Clarke and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hemp-Breakers; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, which is a perspec-- tive representation of my improved machine for breaking hemp or flax.

The object of my improvement isthe construction of a machine which shall break hemp or flax with a rebounding stroke similar in kind to but greaterin degree than that given by hand with a flail. My improvement consists in the use of a vibratingbreaker so connected with the machinery by which it is operated that while the swords or breakers are thrown with violence against the hemp or'flax they are only operated upon directly by the motive power during the commencement of each stroke, and fall upon the flax or hemp freelyby their own gravity with the added impetus of the motive power, but disconnected from the machinery at the time when the swords strike the flax or hemp.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved hemp and flax breaker, I will proceed to describei'ts construction and operation.

7 In the drawings,'a a is a strong frame, comlevel with the top of the frame, is a horizontal shaft, (1, at each side of which are two arms, 6 e, which are rigidly fixed to. the shaft and radiate from it as a center at an angle of about sixty degrees to each other. Each of these arms is equal in length to one-half of the length of the frame a a, andthey are placed immediately over the side pieces, a a, so that the arms alternately rest on the top of the side pieces. The extremities of the two arms 0 e at each side are connected together by a tie, g g, and the arms on opposite sides of the machine by crosspieces f f. Near the extremity of the arms e e are placed swords'or breakers h h, which are secured to the opposite arms of the breakerframe in such a manner that when one pair of arms lie ontop of the side pieces of the machine, the upper swords, h h, fastened to these arms, pass down into the space between the swords c c c, fastened to the frame. A cushion of india-rubber, i, or other suitable material is placed on the top ofthe side pieces of the frameone at each corner of the machine near the swords c c c-so as to break the force of the stroke ofthe arms on the top of the side pieces when there is no flax between the breakers, which deadcns the noise and prevents unnecessary jar to the machinery. The arms e e, &c., connected together by the tiesg ,and cross-pieces ff, and furnished with swords h h at each end, form a vibrating brake whose center of motion is the shaft d. This vibrating brake is made to vibrate rapidly, the swords at each end .being alternately thrown down with considerable force until the arms rest on top of the frame, and the upper swords, h h, pass into the spaces between the lower swords, c c c. The flax or hemp, being placed on top of the lower swords, c c c, is broken by the continual action of the brake or swords h h. It is important, however, that the upper swords shouldnot fall on the flaxwith a rigid stroke, the length of which is determined by the stroke of a pitman, as the effectpf this would be that if too large a quantity of flax were placed between the swords they would either strikeit too hard or the machine would be likely to give way; or, if too small a quantity were placed between the swords it would not be struck with sufficient force. The breaker should be free to rebound after each stroke, and yet the force of the stroke should be sufiiciently violent to perform the work efliciently, or, in other words, the stroke of the breaker should be similar to that given by a mans hand with a stick or flail, and yet have the increased power afforded by the use of machinery. To effect this is an'important part of my invention, which I will proceed to describe. A lever, k, having its center or fulcrum at Z, being one extremity of the shaft d, is

fastened to one'side of the vibrating breakerframe, one end of the lever is being fastened at o to the tie g midway from the extremities of the arms 6 e, so that when the lever k is perpendicular the arms 6 e are both raised from the side pieces of the frame a a, and the tie g. is level, The lower extremity of the lever k on the other side of thecenter I from the point z terminates in a short arm, m, whichpasses through a long slot, n, in the ends of the pit-- manp. Immediately above the short arm m there is a curved shoulder, z, on the lever k, which prevents the pitman slipping too far up on the lever 7c, and the pulley g, which rotates freely and is pivoted to the side of the frame a below theshaft d, supports the slotted end of the pitmanp and prevents its falling down. "This pitman receivesa reciprocating motion from a crank, r, on the shaft 8, to which motion is communicated. through a series of cog-wheels (if necessary) from thesteam-engine or other prime motor. A fly-wheel, t, regulates the motion of the machine, which, owing to the jerking motion given by the pitman to the vibrating breaker, might otherwise be irregular. The slot at in the end of the pitman p is so long that it does not come in contact with the short arm 'm until near the end of its stroke, and then only raises the dc.- pressed end of the breaker so faras to throw it over the center and allow the other end to fall down by its own gravity, the slot 9t being so lcng that the short arm m does not touch the pitman 12 until after the vibrating break has fallen down and is ready to be again raised on the return-stroke of the pitman. By this means the vibrating breaker is raised and thrown over its center with a violent jerk, the impetus of which adds greatly to the force of the blow of the upper swords, h h, on the hemp or flax, and yet the breaker falls freely on the flax, and no matterv how large or how small the bunch of flax or hemp the blow is equally efiicient, and no injury results to the machine.

Having thus described my improvement in hemp and flax breakers, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Constructing the rocking breaker-frame of hemp or flax breakers in the manner described, and operting it by means of a slotted pitman in such manner as that while the vibratory motion is com municated from the prime motor 

